St. Lidwina

Born: April 18, 1380

Died: April 14, 1433

Canonized: March 14, 1890, by Pope Leo XIII

Feast Day: April 14

Patron Saint of: skaters

Also known as Lidwina of Shiedam, Lydwid and Lidwid.

Saint Lidwina was born of a poor family in Schiedam, Holland, in 1380. At a
very young age, little Lidwina found herself totally devoted to the Blessed
Virgin and was often found praying before an image of Our Lady of Schiedam. In
1395, Lidwina had a skating accident that resulted in broken ribs.
Unfortunately, there was no one in the town that knew how to care for this type
of injury and gangrene quickly set in and spread throughout her body. The pain
from the infection was severe and lasted for years. Because the infection was
internal without any outward signs that the that townsfolk could attribute her
agony to, she was believed to be under the influence of the devil. Trying to
trick her, she was given an unconsecrated Eucharistic Host, but she knew it
right away.

During her suffering, Saint Lidwina was given the gift of visions. In one of
the visions that she did share, she said she saw a rosebush and an inscription
that read: "When this shall be in bloom, your suffering will be at an end." In
the spring of 1433, she said that she saw the rosebush of her vision. On Easter
morning of that year, she had a vision of Jesus administering the Sacrament of
Extreme Unction. She died on the 14th of April of that year. There were several
miracles recorded by those that visited her in her bedroom during her suffering.